High power processor packages are developing to have more processing cores and processing cores of different types. These cores require power delivery from an external power supply. In many cases an integrated voltage regulator is included on a die as a part of a processing core. The voltage regulator requires large passive components such as inductors and capacitors that are placed in some external location. With more cores being used, more external passive components are required.
In other examples, the voltage regulator is in a separate die with the uncore circuitry (such as I/O, memory controller, and power control unit) and is packaged with the die stacked with the processor cores over the die and with a voltage regulator for each core. This allows more space in the die with the microprocessor cores to be made available and isolates the power circuitry from the core processing circuitry. Still the large passive inductors and capacitors for the voltage regulator are placed in some external location that is reached through vias, connection bumps, or some other means. The passive components provide higher Q factors when isolated from high speed digital circuitry and from high density interconnection grids. They also provide higher Q factors when they are made large compared to the components of the processing die or even the voltage regulator die. Also, the passive components perform better when they are located near the core processing circuitry.